John Lennon began singing “Happy Christmas,” and she had to smile. Today was a day for peace on earth, and it seemed like Ransom was finally ready to make peace with her on his terms.
As she pulled down the narrow lane to get to his house, she thought about the effort he’d put into clearing it enough to get his own truck out. It had obviously meant a lot to him to go see his friend yesterday.
Hopefully they’ll make up too at some point. They both deserve it.
She passed the barn and pulled up in front of the house, parking the station wagon beside her brother’s truck. Once she had gathered up her gifts, her cookies,and her courage, she headed up to the house and got ready to knock on the door.
But it opened before she touched the wood.
“Aunt Willow,”two little voices chorused.
“Hi, Travis,” she said, accepting their hugs. “Hi, Mae. Merry Christmas.”
“What’sthat?” Mae asked, looking at the bag she carried with great interest. “Is it presents?”
“You’re not supposed to ask that,” Travis whispered loudly to his little sister.
“Itispresents,” Willow said quickly. “You two like getting socks for Christmas, right?”
“I like socks,” Mae replied politely, though her expression wasn’t as enthusiastic as before.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Willow said shaking her head in mock disappointment. “Because I only got you toys this time. Maybe next year I’ll bring you some socks.”
Both kids roared with laughter that Willow strongly suspected was at least partially fueled by the sweets that had been in their stockings.
“Hey, sis,” Ransom yelled from the kitchen. “Come on in, breakfast is almost ready.”
“Thank you,” she said, handing Travis her bag. “Bring that to your dad, okay?”
“Mae, where should I put my coat?” she asked, though she could clearly see the coatrack.
“Right here,” Mae told her proudly, leading her over to it. “You just put it on there.”
“Thank you,” Willow told her.
There was a nice fire in the fireplace and the kids had added green and red paper chains to the alreadydecorated space so that it looked even more festive than before.
The three big, beautiful dogs she had seen outside last time were all sleeping by the fireplace, so beautiful they looked almost like a painting. One of them noticed her looking and thumped an inky black tail on the floor without getting up.
Willow slipped off her boots and put them by the door as well, and then headed into the kitchen. She was prepared for things to be awkward after yesterday, but determined to power through it. Her brother had reached out to be sure she was coming, which meant that he really wanted her here, and she was grateful for that.
“Smells amazing,” she told Ransom.
“Thanks,” he said, grinning at her before turning his attention back to the bacon he was flipping. A paper-towel lined plate by the stove was already covered with cooked strips.
“You’ve got enough for an army in there,” she teased him.
“Can’t hurt to have a little extra,” he said. “Never know who might stop by.”
“I guess,” she said, though she would be stunned if anyone just randomly stopped by in this weather on a holiday.
The living space was completely open, so she could see that Travis and Mae were back by the tree, putting together a complicated-looking train set. Their heads were close together and they were talking quietly, looking like there was no one in the world but the two of them.
“Reminds me of us,” Ransom said quietly.
“It does,” Willow agreed, smiling.
The two of them had been so close growing up. Even when Ransom had a whole crew of friends, he still made time to play with his little sister, and to hold her hand whenever she was scared.
